The present invention relates generally to a signal controlling apparatus constructed to allocate a channel group to one of a plurality of channel strips provided on an operation panel so that values of parameters for adjusting signals to be processed in a plurality of channels belonging to the channel group can be collectively adjusted by a manual-operator of the allocated channel strip, and more particularly to an improvement in techniques for visually deploying the individual values of adjusting parameters of individual channels belonging to the channel group.
Audio mixers (also referred to simply as “mixers”) are constructed generally in such a manner that sound characteristics adjustment processing are performed on input audio signals in individual ones of a plurality of channels, the processed audio signals are selectively supplied to mixing buses, one or more audio signals supplied from one or more channels are mixed in at least one of the mixing buses, and one or more resultant mixed audio signals are output to one or more output destinations. A digital mixer performs various signal processing, such as sound characteristics processing, route setting of audio signals, etc., by performing digital signal processing on digital audio signals. All of parameter values for using in such signal processing are stored in a memory of the mixer. As well known in the art, the mixer includes, on an operation panel, a plurality of channel strips each having a plurality of manual-operators, such as a fader, an encoder and various buttons. A desired object of operation, such as one channel, is allocated to each of the channel strips, and a value of a desired parameter of the allocated object of operation is adjusted by use of any one of the manual-operators of the channel strip.
There has also been known a grouping function for grouping a plurality of channels into a channel group (hereinafter also referred to simply as “group”) and collectively controlling individual channels belonging to the group. Such a grouping function is discloses, for example, in an instruction manual “YAMAHA DIGITAL MIXING CONSOLE PM5D/PM5DRH” published in 2004 by Yamaha Corporation and available from the Internet at URL:http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/pa/japan/mixers/cs1d_ja_om_r21.pdf?_ga=1.18964906 7.145683692.1426226024 (hereinafter referred to as “Non-patent Literature 1”) and an instruction manual “DIGITAL MIXING CONSOLE M7CL” published in 2005 by Yamaha Corporation and available from the Internet at URL: http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/pa/japan/mixers/m7c1_ja_om_e0.pdf?_ga=1.261478797.145 683692.1426226024 (hereinafter referred to as “Non-patent Literature 2”). For example, level adjustment and mote-ON/OFF can be performed collectively, by means of a single group fader operator, on individual channels belonging to one group (see “Chapter 7 DCA Group/Mute Group” at pages 92 to 98 of Non-patent Literature 1, and “Chapter 11 Grouping/Link” at pages 113 to 121 of Non-patent Literature 2). Further, pages 120 and 121 of Non-patent Literature 2 discloses a channel link function for causing a desired parameter to be interlinked among a plurality of channels belonging to a group.
Although the above-mentioned grouping function for grouping a plurality of channels into a group and collectively operating the channels belonging to the group by means of a single manual operator is convenient, a user may sometimes want to operate the channels of the group individually or independently of one another. Therefore, a digital mixer has been proposed and known which can deploy individual channels constituting (belonging to) a group to channel strips through a predetermined operation. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2011-066863 (hereinafter referred to as “Patent Literature 1”) discloses, as a technique for flexibly designating deployed-to (or deploying or deployment-destination) channel strips, dividing a plurality of channel strips on an operation panel into a plurality of blocks and designating any one of the blocks as a deployment destination so that individual channels constituting a group can be deployed to the channel strips belonging to the designated block.
Further, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0285573 corresponding to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2016-181834 (hereinafter referred to as “Patent Literature 2”) discloses a mixer which is configured to: store, for each of channel strips, object-of-operation designation information that designates a channel or a group as an object of operation of the channel strip, or designates the channel strip as a deploying channel strip for individually deploying thereto any one of the channels belonging to the group; and allocate the object of operation to the plurality of channel strips based on the object-of-operation designation information, where none of the channels or group is allocated to the channel strip designated as the deploying channel strip so as to set the channel strip in an empty state as the deploying channel strip, and in response to a deployment instruction of a given group, individual channels belonging to the given group are allocated to the channel strips designated as the deploying channel strips.
However, with the conventionally-known technique as shown in the aforementioned Patent Literatures 1 and 2, because a predetermined block of channel strips or designated channel strips of the plurality of channel strips are dedicatedly set as deploying channel strips, it is necessary for the dedicated deploying channel strips to be put in the empty state at the time of non-deploying mode, and thus, the efficiency of utilization of the channel strips would be degraded. For this reason, the conventionally-known technique is not proper for applying to a small scale mixer having less channel strips. Although it would be possible for any one of channel strips in a mixer without any dedicated deploying channel strip to be used as a deploying channel strip in response to a deployment instruction, if so, such usage will bring an undesirable result that previous adjustment content having set, before the deployment instruction, in the channel strip used as the deploying channel strip has to be avoided by overwritten with contents of the deployment.